WWE SmackDown delivers mixed results ahead of SNME 43 with Rhodes-Zayn main event

WWE's Friday night broadcast landed somewhere in the middle—not bad, not brilliant, but enough to suggest the company is finding its footing again. The show opened with Rhea Ripley in the ring, offering a title defense against Jade Cargill, only to have Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss interrupt. What should have been a clean segment devolved into argument and posturing. Fatal Influence showed up to stoke the flames, Flair issued a tag challenge that got accepted, and nothing with Ripley got resolved. It felt like half a story, the kind of opening that leaves you waiting for the other shoe to drop.

The wrestling itself started to justify the time investment. Shinsuke Nakamura faced Talla Tonga, who brought Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga to ringside. Tonga's size gave him early control, but Nakamura refused to feel like an underdog despite the physical disadvantage. The real moment came when Sikoa distracted the referee, allowing Tonga to land his finisher. What followed was telling: Tama stopped his brother from hitting a follow-up Samoan Spike so he could land one himself. Damian Priest ran down with a chair to make the save. The sequence suggested something brewing beneath the surface of The Judgment Day's alliance.

Tiffany Stratton's U.S. Open Challenge brought Lash Legend, who came with Nia Jax and a promise to win her first singles title before reclaiming tag gold this weekend. Stratton and Legend brought energy to the match, though some miscommunication kept it from reaching its potential. When Jax interfered, Chelsea Green shoved her into the ring post. Legend got distracted, and Stratton rolled her up for the win. The match told a story about momentum and focus, even if the execution wasn't flawless.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes delivered the night's most entertaining work. Williams came out with Lil Yachty, bragging about beating The Miz the previous week. Hayes followed, claiming Williams had screwed him out of a U.S. title opportunity and questioning whether the champion was willing to actually defend. Williams agreed to fight but refused to put the belt on the line. What followed was a match that felt like more than a throwaway encounter. Both men treated it seriously, the crowd responded, and when Ricky Saints appeared at ringside to distract Williams, it felt earned rather than convenient. Williams hit the Trick Shot and won clean enough, though the presence of Saints suggested future complications.

Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley teamed against Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley of Toxic Attraction. The match got two full segments to breathe, which allowed it to feel competitive rather than perfunctory. Flair and Ripley had friction throughout—disagreements about who should tag in, who should finish. When Ripley was about to win with Riptide, Flair tagged herself in and stole the pin. You could see the frustration flash across Ripley's face. After the match, Jade Cargill, B-Fab, and Michin attacked all the babyfaces alongside Toxic Attraction. Cargill hit Ripley with Jaded to punctuate the segment. The women's division was doing actual work.

Damian Priest and Solo Sikoa went next. Priest clotheslined Sikoa out of the ring immediately, forcing the referee to start the match. A superplex happened during a commercial break, which meant viewers missed significant portions of what should have been a physical encounter. When they returned, Tama and Talla distracted Priest long enough for Sikoa to land the Samoan Spike. Royce Keys ran down to make the save, and Sikoa left looking disappointed rather than triumphant. The moment suggested WWE might be considering turning Tama babyface, though the company seemed unwilling to commit to the decision yet.

The main event featured Cody Rhodes against Sami Zayn in their first singles match in nearly a decade. They started with a lockup and headlock sequence. Zayn hit an arm drag and offered his hand in respect. Rhodes shook it but pushed it away at the end—a small gesture that carried weight. These two know each other's rhythms, which made the match feel fresher than most weekly television encounters. Gunther got involved at a crucial moment, and Rhodes used the distraction to hit Cross Rhodes for the win. Zayn looked like he might help his former friend, but instead let Gunther choke him out. The finish suggested fractures in relationships that had seemed solid.

Friday's show had its moments and its valleys. The Rhodes-Zayn main event was solid, but Williams and Hayes stole the night with a match that reminded viewers why these two former NXT standouts make perfect rivals. The women's division showed up with competitive tag team action and storyline development. Tomorrow's SNME 43 event has a decent card that could rival some of the bigger pay-per-view shows if WWE books it correctly. The broadcast itself earned a C+—not a destination, but a reason to keep watching.